Month: October 2020

Swamiji says …

“More often than not we hear people of all ages complain…’Mera dil yeh chahta hai! Mera mann yeh kehta hai!’ and we too begin to believe the dictates of the heart, and do as ordered, desired by it. ‘Mann bahut chanchal hota hai!’ and it runs helter-skelter, in all directions, with us chasing its commands in hot pursuit. The mind, a silent spectator to the devious doings of the heart, attempts to put up a feeble fight against the surge of the adrenalin rush pumped by the heart, but is submerged in the powerful currents of its demands. Our plaintive appeals to our ‘buddhi’ to not give in to the incessant desires of the heart, mindlessly, go in vain, as it too surrenders meekly to the illusionary, but extremely gratifying whims of the heart.”

“Our heart and mind rule the roost. Their dominance over us is absolute and complete. They smirk mockingly at us as, aware of the power they wield over us. We, too, for some strange reason, allow them to impose their will over us, as we conveniently find an excuse to hold them responsible for our weaknesses and mistakes! ‘Hum yeh bhool jaate hain ki humara dil aur dimaag humein ‘bhramit’ kartey hai! Mann ki vyakulta aur dimaag ki asthirtah humein baichain karti hai ; paruntu hum khush ho kar, inhi ki udhed bann mein lagey rahte hain! Hum insey baahar nikal kar shudhi ki taraf kab jayenge? Kya hum yeh kabhi sochte hain?’ So magnetic and powerful is their hold and control over us, that we are enslaved by them; and become mere puppets in their hands! Life appears to be a perfect balance between the two, and, we surrender to the wandering heart and aimless mind with a sense of abandonment.”

“We are accustomed to seeing impure and biased emotions, flourish and reign supreme within us, during the larger part of our lives.The spell cast by the conniving heart and the scheming mind blinds us to the true purpose of our lives. We remain unaffected, even on realizing, that our complete involvement with the fickle nature of our ‘buddhi aur mann’ is proving to be the greatest stumbling block in knowing the Real us – our inner self. ‘Buddhi’ toh sab ke paas hoti hai ! ‘Buddhi’ ko ‘sadbuddhi’ mein kab parivartit karogay?’ – are questions that don’t necessarily arise in our minds. ‘Apni sadbuddhi ko jagao ! Achcha socho ! Sahi aur galat ke beech ka farak jaano !”

“When will we tire of all the distractions that the heart and mind tempt and lure us with! The bubble of this comfort zone needs to be deflated at the earliest and we need to step out of the layers of ‘ashudhta’ which are wrapped around us…’ Shudhi ki oer dhyan dein aur apni aatma ki taraf dekhein! Apne andar jhankein ! Main kaun hoon? – yeh jaan ney ki koshish karein!’ Till when will we throw caution to the wind; remain heedless to the importance of ‘shuddhi’ in our lives!’ The focus, effort and determination that is put in by us in cleansing our soul never goes unrewarded ; can never become a cause of sorrow, unlike the misery that is suffered in not acquiring the material possessions that the heart and mind have set their heart on!”

“A pure soul; cleansed of all impurities, vices and material desires; mirrors the enlightened state, true contentment and inner peace that has been realised by him. He is so busy counting the blessings and God’s Divine Grace that have been showered on him, that no trappings and pleasures of life, can ensnare his heart or mind. ‘Humey apni aatma ko shudh karna hain! Jab hum apne vicharon ko har dum, har kshann, chaubis ghante shudh, pavitra rakhenge, tabhi hum apni aatma ko shudh kar sakengey! Humari shudhta, pavitrata hi humari aatma ko parmatma se jod sakti hai!’ “

Swamiji says…

“All of us make mistakes. We err and go wrong! It is normal to do so. How else would we have, otherwise, known the difference between right and wrong; checked and improved ourselves! We learn from every single mistake that we commit during the various stages of our life. The acceptance of the fact that we’ve made a mistake, leaves behind with us a lesson, which should serve as a constant reminder and prevent us from repeating the same mistake over and over again! But do we do so? Do we admit, accept and apologise for our mistakes? Some of us might do so, but a few of us are very comfortable with the habit of neither admitting nor accepting … ‘ Kaafi log apni galti ko maan ne ke liye tayyar hi nahi ho teh hain ! Sweekar karne ki baat toh bahut dur ki hai !’

“What makes us remain foolishly adamant in not accepting the fact that we have made a mistake is known only to us! Do we do so, as we lack the needed courage to admit our mistakes and save ourselves from embarrassment at that particular moment, and, rather prefer to behave in an atrocious, childlike manner that could later make us feel ashamed of ourselves? ‘Sabse achcha hota hai ki joh galti hum se hui hai, ussey hum sudharein ! Bahut baar hum yeh sochte hain ki, jab galti ho hi gayee hai toh, uss ke baare mein kya sochna … Kis se kya maafi maangey?’ “

“We believe that there is no point in thinking much about the issue and regretting over it, as the mistake has already been made and nothing can be done about it now. It is here that our approach is wrong. Why do we turn a blind eye to our mistakes even when we realize that we are at fault and not immediately express our regret for having erred and close the matter there and then ? Why don’t we get connected with God or ‘Guru’ and appeal for His Grace to give us the foresight to desist from making such mistakes repeatedly and to check us if we do so? Why can’t we say – ‘ Hum se galti ho gayee aapko galat samajh kar jis ki wajah se hum ne aapko bekaar mein bura-bhala keh diya ! Agyaanta mein hum se yeh galti ho gayi thi, aur iss ke liye aap humey maaf kar dijiye!’

“Instead of doing this we indulge in immature behaviour which is a far cry from the maturity that can be exhibited by us in accepting the mistake that has been made by us. Denial is the best form of defence and thus we try to concoct the weirdest excuse possible; latch on to hundred improbable reasons to reinforce on others that – ‘I was not in the wrong!’ – but, the battle that is waged between us and our conscience; that niggling thought that prods us repeatedly and reminds us – ‘You know that you have hurt that person with your words, actions and behaviour!’ and this makes it difficult for us to look away from the truth. Our unwillingness to accept the wrong, the misdeed that had been done by us doesn’t free us from our guilt of having indulged in a wrongful act and that in itself should be looked upon us as a kind of punishment, but do we change ourselves for the better ?”

“What is it that makes it so difficult for us to say sorry; to acknowledge and accept that we had made a mistake? Why do words expressing an apology get lodged in our throat and we feel wrought up in lending them a voice? The stiff resistance put up by us in saying the simple words, ‘ I’m sorry! I know I made a mistake! I shouldn’t have done that or said that!’ – even when we know that we were at fault, are clear indicators of an inflated ego; a rigid, inflexible mindset; a state of non-compliance in which we have burrowed ourselves and feel certain that we can do no wrong; and cannot make a mistake! Mistakes and me? No way! ‘Making mistakes is not my domain’ – are words that we keep repeating to ourselves.”

” Mistakes as varied as speaking an untruth and lying, as a child, to save one’s skin; or stealing money during adolescence for expenses we did not want our elders to be aware of; or being intolerant and aggressive in relationships – personal or professional in adulthood – are made by us , all the time ! The audacity with which we keep on asking the question – ‘Why make such a big issue over my mistakes? So what if my behaviour has hurt a person?’ shows our unconcerned attitude. Blinded with rage and frustration at defending our mistakes, we completely forget about the turbulence that could be caused within those individuals who bear the brunt of our malicious words, hurtful actions and are subjected to our lapses ; our arrogance, ill-treatment or vehement criticism for no fault of theirs ! Ageing parents are mostly at the receiving end of our hostile behaviour. And, we still have the gumption to say that we have done no wrong.Do we ever try to assess ourselves impartially, and understand clearly, as to who really is at fault ?”

“Acceptance and admission of one’s mistakes can be liberating and uplifting, as the weight of guilt that had been weighing us down is removed from our mind and soul forever ! But for that one needs strength ; not physical, but moral strength. What would you like to be ? Weak or strong? ‘Galti har kisi se hoti hai, par baddappan apni galti ko sweekar karne mein hota hai !”

Voiceover : Kalyan

Video : Avneesh ji & Shashwat

🌺🙏🌺🙏🌺🙏🌺🙏🌺🙏🌺🙏🌺🙏🌺

Swamiji says…

” The joy and happiness that we experience on lighting ‘diyas’ and lamps in our temples and places of worship, reverentially and lovingly, before God, is palpable; visible to all.The glow from the wicks – drives away the darkness that pervades the outer ‘baahri ‘ world ; illuminates and highlights the entire area with ‘prakash’ and a sight as beautiful as this is absolutely divine to behold ! So involved and immersed are we in lighting up the ‘outer’ world, that we fail to see whether our ‘inner’ being, too, the only Real thing about us – is lit up bright, bathed in divine light,or, is it still covered with dark sheaths of ignorance and impurities?”

” A minute or two without electricity, and we begin to feel uncomfortable. We immediately light a candle to dispel the surrounding darkness. So immediate is our reaction to the darkness in which we are engulfed, even if it is for a short period of time – that we hurriedly look for ways and means of lighting up that area of the external, outer world ! “Hum sab mandir mein ‘jyot’ jalate hain…Apne andar bhi toh jyot jalao ! Baahri jyot se hi kya hoga? Apne bhitar, apne hriday mein prakash, roshni, ‘parmatma’ ki jyot jalao ! Apne andar ke andhere ko bhi dur karo ! ‘Uss’ ko pehchaan ne ki koshish karo !’ I often wonder – ‘Why don’t we show the same urgency in dispelling the darkness that is within us?’ “

” The attempt made by us to kindle the flame of divinity, that is latent within us, will provide us with the required insight to discern between right and wrong ; good and bad…’ Humari soch achchi banegi ! Humare vicharon mein shudhta aur pavitrata aayegi, aur hum nek raaste par chalne ki koshish karenge! “

” The enchantment of the lights and glitter of the ephemeral material world have bewitched and blinded us so greatly that the thought …’ Hummey iss divine light ko apne andar utaarna hai aur prajwalit karna hai ! ‘ – is ,sadly, lost in its illusionary sheen and colours. ‘ Deep concentration and determination in making this divine light a part of ourselves should be our primary focus us, as, it alone, is eternal and everlasting ! When we try to do this with faith and devotion, our physical being too responds mysteriously to the call of our inner self, and assists us, by providing us with the strength to undergo this divine experience – ‘ Jab humare shareer, humari chhati mein yeh ‘ divya prakash’ andar atta hai, tab joh movement hota hai , woh hummey yeh divine ehsaas dilata hai ki paramatma humare andar utar rahe hain !’ “

” The onset of this awareness heralds the beginning of the cleansing and purification of our soul.The earlier we understand that apart from this ‘divinity’ there is nothing else that can go along with us, once we have breathed our last ; the possibility of changing our outlook towards life; the necessity of looking ‘inwards’, rather than ‘outwards’ ; takes a more definite shape.”

” We brag and boast about our friends, contacts, the who’s who we know; and do everything possible to reach out to them and vouch on our undying friendship, that we are certain, will withstand all odds. Unfortunately, many a friendship fail the test of time. But what about establishing a direct contact and connectivity with ‘Him’ …our Creator? Why don’t we make him our best friend ? ‘ Hum uparwale se direct contact kyun nahi kar rahein hain? ‘ Believe me, ‘ Woh joh taktaki lagaye hamesha humari oer dekhte rehte hain, bina mangey hi sab kuch dete rehte hain !’ – responds to every call of ours; is always ready, everwilling to be contacted by us. A genuine, small effort by us to contact Him is rewarded by Him in the form of unprecedented divine blessings.” But ‘No’ ! Most of us are not willing to do so, as it is not only pressing issues that demand our greater attention, but also, the desire to play the role of a distracted consumer ; wanting to enjoy and acquire everything that we lay our eyes on, eats into most of our time; and thus those moments to know ‘God’ and to take His name are decreasing by the day ! ‘ Insaan ko baahaar ki chamak dhamak hi dikh rahi hai… Bhed ki chaal chal rahe hain sab ! Kitna anand chahiye aaj kal ke youngsters ko? ‘ Some of us try to give a lame excuse by saying that we are too young to get involved with spiritual issues at such an early stage of our lives, and, save the ‘ aadhyatmik’ progression for a later day. Why do youngsters want to delay the most sublime and satisfying phase of their lives…’ Abhi se kyon koshish nahi karte hain apne andar paramatma ki jyot jalaane ke liye !”

” I am baffled by the attitude that is displayed by the majority of us towards God ! ‘ Iss sansaar, srishthi mein kuch ek ke alawa, baki sab cheezon ko enjoy karne mein lagey hain’ – due to which we are witnessing a sharp decline in the percentage of people who find it necessary to repose complete faith and devotion in God, and others foolishly opine that such dependency on Him is a sign of weakness. Youngsters, at times, are hesitant in acknowledging that they read scriptures and Holy Books as they are embarrassed by the strange looks that come their way for this ‘ peculiar’ habit of theirs ! And then we wonder as to why is God angry with us ? Won’t He be ; at the nonchalant, selfish attitude that we maintain towards Him and His creations?”

” There is an urgent need to understand that – ‘Parmatma ke prakash ki jyot jo hum ne apne andar utaari hai …’ is the richest resource ; the only real treasure that is worth acquiring in our lifetime ; the only valid license that will finally enable a divine merger between us and our Creator !”